New offense may mean more catches for everyone.

Assessing the play and subsequently the needs of the Philadelphia Eagles' receiving corps heading into this offseason is complicated by the sub-par play of the offensive line and quarterback Michael Vick before he was sidelined for a good portion of the season with a concussion.

On the one hand, they appear to have a good to excellent mix, with DeSean Jackson presumably coming back strong for his sixth season after recovering from rib and shoulder injuries that landed him on injured reserve last November; Jeremy Maclin entering his fifth season averaging 66 catches per season 13.4 yards per reception for his career; and Jason Avant attempting to continue his career-long streak of catching more passes than the year before.

Toss 6-3, 225-pound Riley Cooper (career-high three TD catches in 2012) and second-year receiver Damaris Johnson (19 catches, 256 yards as a rookie) into the mix, and there wouldn't seem to be room for many more.

On the other hand, upgrades always are being sought, and the fact that the Eagles did not approach Maclin, who has one year remaining on his rookie contract, with an offer for an extension last fall could be a sign that they're not interested in him beyond 2013.

Maclin's production has been solid but mostly unspectacular for being chosen with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Nevertheless, he has entered an elite group as just the eighth wide receiver in league history to accumulate at least 55 catches and 750 yards in each of his first four seasons. Gary Clark, Larry Fitzgerald, Joey Galloway, Marvin Harrison, Keyshawn Johnson, Randy Moss and Sterling Sharpe are the others.

Jackson's speed and instincts could make him the greatest beneficiary of new head coach Chip Kelly's state-of-the-art offensive schemes, although all receivers will get more opportunities if the Eagles can execute the coach's calls.

Until being felled in a Nov. 26 game against Carolina, Jackson was on pace for a pretty darn good year, especially when you consider how lousy the Eagles were offensively. He had caught 45 passes for 700 yards and two TDs. Projecting those numbers over a full season, that would have been a career-high 65 catches for 1,018 yards, numbers that could easily grow to 90 and 1,400 under Kelly.

Avant, who will turn 30 in April, seems to be aging in reverse. He has the surest hands on the team and last season caught a career-high 53 passes for 648 yards despite missing two games because of a hamstring strain.

He also possesses one of the few true leadership personalities in the locker room, and so even though he may not be as fast as Kelly prefers his skill people to be, it would be hard to imagine him not being with the Eagles in 2013.

Like Avant, Cooper's reception numbers also have increased each season since his rookie year of 2010, although the long plays were down considerably in 2012 (23 catches, 248 yards, 3 TDs) from the year before (16, 315, 1). That could be because he became a more dependable red-zone receiver.

Either way, his size and skill set seem to complement Jackson and Maclin perfectly.

Johnson also should be back after an intriguing rookie season in which he also ranked second in the NFC with a punt-return average of 11.2 yards, a number skewed a bit by a 98-yard touchdown return. But his pure speed in Kelly's system should make for an interesting mix.

But even should all of the above be back, there probably will be room for at least one more, and it's possible the Eagles could address this position fairly high in the draft.

Though this year's crop is a lot like the quarterback position, with a lack of bona fide first-round talent, it doesn't mean the Eagles couldn't come away with an excellent weapon.

According to WalterFootball.com, the only receiver with a definite first-round grade is Cal junior Keenan Allen, who is coming out early.

He has good speed (4.49 in the 40-yard dash) to go with enviable size (6-2, 215) and averaged 14 yards per punt return.

Unless the Eagles decide to keep three tight ends, something they haven't done recently, they likely won't view this as a position of high importance, although it's impossible to tell if proven pros Brent Celek and Clay Harbor will fit into Kelly's plans.

Although Celek at this point probably never will make a Pro Bowl, he has become a solid player and is a positive personality in the locker room.

Harbor has emerged as a more than competent backup, not to mention a blocker, at least in former offensive line coach Howard Mudd's system. How he'll fare under someone else is unknown.

Tight end had never been considered a high-value position by the previous Eagles administration, which was controlled by Joe Banner and Andy Reid. Now that Howie Roseman and Kelly have joined forces, don't look for that philosophy to change.

If the Eagles add a tight end in the draft, look for it to be in the middle to late rounds.